True North Church Opens New Vineland Facility

The church held its first service in a repurposed 70,000-square-foot former Sears building on October 4, 2026.

Updated on Oct. 27, 2026 in Commercial

Bold vector editorial illustration showing a clean, modern building facade, symbolizing a repurposed community worship space in a suburban city. — True North Church opened its new Vineland facility on October 4, 2026, repurposing a former 70,000-square-foot retail building to serve the local congregation. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

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True North Church officially opened a new location in Vineland on October 4, 2026, occupying a former Sears department store. The facility conversion follows the church's $2.4 million purchase of the property in 2024.

Why it matters

The expansion addresses overcrowding at the church's headquarters in Mullica Hill, which frequently saw high attendance from residents living in Vineland. This project aims to provide a more accessible location for its local congregation.

The new Vineland facility features 950 seats and occupies a 70,000-square-foot building that sat vacant after the Sears location closed in 2017. Church revenue grew 7% between 2024 and 2025 as the organization invested in property development.

The players

True North Church

A growing religious organization based in Mullica Hill that is expanding its presence throughout New Jersey.

Equip Studio

An architectural and design firm specializing in the planning and development of religious facilities.

The details

Contractors performed extensive building remediation including asbestos removal, roof replacement, and upgrades to the parking lot drainage system. Designed by Equip Studio, the renovated space serves a city population of approximately 63,000.

The Sears store in Vineland closed its doors in 2017.
True North Church acquired the former retail building in 2024.
The organization reported expenditures exceeding $5.1 million in 2025.
The new church building hosted its first service on October 4, 2026.

Culture Shift

This project reflects the broader trend of repurposing vacant big-box retail space for non-retail community usage. Such conversions often provide organizations with high-capacity facilities while revitalizing commercial zones abandoned during the shift toward online shopping.

Residents in the area now have access to a larger facility with 950 seats, potentially reducing travel requirements for those previously commuting to Mullica Hill. The project also repurposed a long-vacant commercial property at a major local intersection.

The takeaway

Large-scale adaptive reuse projects often require multi-year construction timelines to handle structural remediation and site drainage upgrades. Organizations looking to expand should prioritize these logistics to transform legacy commercial assets into functional community spaces.

What happens next

True North Church intends to execute a planned 35,000-square-foot expansion at its original Mullica Hill facility following the successful completion of the Vineland project.